At the southernmost tip of Africa lies the Cape Floral Region. Characterized by low, woody scrub known as fynbos, the semi-desert plains of the Succulent Karoo, coastal flats and the imposing Cape Fold Mountains, this portion of South Africa is renowned among naturalists for boasting high levels of endemism among its fauna and flora. As the name suggests, the plant life of the Cape Floral Region is particularly diverse, consisting of around 9,000 species, of which two thirds are found nowhere else in the world. In fact, one of the six floral kingdoms of the world is entirely contained within the Cape Floral Region: a remarkable case of species diversity within a relatively small area!
The gorgeous Orange-breasted Sunbird is the most colorful of the fynbos endemics!
Not to be outdone by the abundance of plant species, the Cape is also home to a multitude of endemic animals including a handful of prized bird species. In this blog I will be covering all the birds that are restricted to the Cape Floral Region, with a few honorable mentions to those that are near-endemics or breeding endemics (only breed within the region). Of the 14 species listed below, six are endemic to the fynbos biome within the Cape Floral Region, while the others also branch out into the neighboring Succulent Karoo and arid Nama Karoo. The final entry on the list, the Black Harrier, does disperse into the Nama Karoo, Kalahari and central grasslands of South Africa, but its breeding range is almost fully contained within the Cape Floral Region.
Cape Rockjumper – The Mountaintop Dazzler
Kicking off the list is a bird that any birder visiting the Cape should know all too well. With its brick-red belly, crimson eyes and black-and-white accents, the Cape Rockjumper is arguably the best-dressed of all the Cape specials. Males in particular are quite striking, the pied markings on their head giving them a comically strong facial expression. These handsome hoppers are solely restricted to the Cape Fold Mountains where they tend to occupy the rocky, boulder-strewn peaks thereof. This can make them tricky to find as they rarely venture lower down, but are known to do so at a select few sites like the coastal town of Rooi-Els. At this spot, they often descend to the foot of the peaks to forage, hence why it is globally regarded as the best site in the world to see these charming birds. We regularly visit this site on organized day trips, as well as on our Best of Cape Town tour, our Budget Cape Town tour and our Western South Africa birding tour.
Rockjumpers are normally social and tend to live in groups of three or four. They are vocal and characterful birds, often seen chasing each other around boulders, duetting with shrill whistles and trills and fanning their white-tipped tails in territorial displays. In spite of their resemblance to mockingbirds, the two rockjumper species are something of a taxonomic anomaly and have been placed in their own family. The only other species, the Drakensberg Rockjumper, differs from its Cape counterpart by possessing a pale orange belly, and occupies the higher peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains in eastern South Africa and Lesotho. It is also a major target on our Subtropical South Africa tour.
The black-and-white facial stripes identify this Cape Rockjumper as a male.
Cape Sugarbird – The Long-tailed Protea Lover
Another bird restricted to the mountain fynbos biome, the Cape Sugarbird occupies a rather different niche to the Cape Rockjumper. Somewhat reminiscent of a large sunbird, the Cape Sugarbird occurs in the foothills and slopes of the Cape Fold Mountains where they feed on nectar from various flowering bushes. They have a particularly strong association with Protea bushes (also known as “Sugarbushes”) and are easily found wherever these plants are blooming. While they may not be as colorful as sunbirds, male Cape Sugarbirds make up for this by possessing a spectacularly long, flowing tail which they often brandish atop their favorite Protea flower: a picture that most bird photographers in the Cape aspire to capture!
In a similar configuration to the rockjumper family, the Cape Sugarbird shares its family with only one other species, the Gurney’s Sugarbird, which is found on the lower slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains. This makes the rockjumpers and sugarbirds the only bird families that are endemic to southern Africa, which in turn, makes them a major drawcard for any birders visiting the region. Compared to its cousin, the Cape Sugarbird tends to be more common and less sensitive to human disturbance and regularly visits parks and gardens with nectar feeders or flowering Proteas. The famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens near the city of Cape Town is a well-known spot to see this dashing species. Sugarbirds are also known for their strange calls, which consist of swizzling buzzes that sound more like broken electronic equipment than a bird!
The long, flowing tail of a male Cape Sugarbird is by far its most striking feature!
Orange-breasted Sunbird – The Gem of the Fynbos
Sticking with nectarivores, the Orange-breasted Sunbird is the second sugar-loving special to be found in the Cape. A truly glorious little bird, the male Orange-breasted Sunbird is sure to shock any observer lucky enough to see him in good light with its vivid array of colors. With his flaming orange belly, glistening green head and smart purple chest band, he is a stunner that all photographers will want to pursue! Not merely defined by looks alone, the Orange-breasted Sunbird is the only sunbird species restricted to the mountain fynbos, where it is surprisingly abundant. They often tend to be the most common bird in this habitat, alongside species like Cape Bunting, Grey-backed Cisticola and Karoo Prinia. Unlike the sugarbirds, they pollinate most of the smaller flowering plants in the biome and have a particular liking for the tubular flowers of Erica heath. While they are common nectarivores in the region, they are never found far from their favored habitat and do not readily visit nectar feeders as do the sugarbirds and other local sunbird species.
While not social by nature, Orange-breasted Sunbirds may loosely gather at rich nectar sources, sometimes up to 15 individuals. They are also very vocal birds, and tuning in to their buzzing contact calls will reveal just how abundant these birds are in the mountain fynbos. However, the males are also excellent songsters, emitting long, intricate phrases for extended periods of time from atop a boulder or shrub. They often incorporate mimicry of other bird species into these songs, a trait which is not common in other sunbird species.
A showy male Orange-breasted Sunbird in all of its glory!
Victorin’s Warbler – The Skulker with a Big Voice
While the previous species on this list have been showy, charismatic and colorful, this bird lies very much on the other end of the spectrum. In many ways the antithesis of the Orange-breasted Sunbird, the Victorin’s Warbler is a drab, shy denizen of the mountain fynbos that skulks along dense thickets adjacent to streams and gulleys. While it may not be as flashy or gaudy as the aforementioned birds, the Victorin’s Warbler does possess a few subtle flourishes that help give it some memorability among the many brown bush warblers of the Old World. These are namely warm fulvous underparts, silvery-grey cheeks and, most notably, bright orange eyes. Unfortunately, seeing all these features is often made challenging by the bird’s habit of keeping within the cover of dense thickets, often shuffling along the ground like a mouse. The good news is that this bird has been gifted with a loud voice and a highly recognizable song, which it will often repeat incessantly for minutes at a time. They are also rather territorial, making them much easier to locate during the breeding season when they are most vocal.
Despite its similarity to many species of Old World bush warblers, the Victorin’s Warbler is placed in an unusual family of African warbler-like birds that include the crombecs, longbills and the Cape Grassbird (another southern African endemic). Although it is secretive by nature, it is not rare and can be reliably found across the Cape Fold Mountains, including a number of sites that we visit on our aforementioned Cape tours, such as Sir Lowry’s Pass and Harold Porter Botanical Gardens.
While they are generally shy, when Victorin’s Warblers do show, they show well!
Cape Siskin – The Mountaineer with Taillights
South Africa is blessed with a variety of canary species, of which roughly ten can be found within the Cape Floral Region. While it is hardly the most visually outstanding of our canaries, the habits and habitat of the tiny Cape Siskin make it unique among the majority of South Africa’s seed-eating birds. Like the Cape Rockjumper, it is a mountaintop species that breeds in the rocky crags and outcrops of the Cape Fold Mountains, and bares an eastern counterpart in the Drakensberg Mountains: the aptly-named Drakensberg Siskin. However, unlike the rockjumper, Cape Siskin are highly mobile and will make near-daily feeding forays down to the foothills, returning to the upper slopes in the evening to roost. This phenomenon is easy to observe around the lighthouse at Cape Point, or the fynbos along the Cecilia Forest hiking trail.
Due to their mobile nature, Cape Siskins are often seen in flight and are best picked up by their nasal, whistling flight calls as they move between foraging sites. They also often call to each other while they are feeding, and this is often the easiest way to locate them due to their small size and drab plumage. When not passing overhead, they are most often seen scrambling through low shrubs and shuffling along bare patches of ground in the fynbos, meticulously searching for tiny seeds and flowers on which to feed. The olive-yellow males will sometimes perch atop a boulder from which they will sing their fast-paced, rambling song. Both male and female Cape Siskin also possess jet black tails with bright white tips that make them quite recognizable in flight aside from their calls.
This male Cape Siskin shows the dull yellow tones which differentiate him from the female.
Protea Canary – The Modest Mountain Songster
Following on from the siskin is yet another canary, but one with a very different ecological niche. The Protea Canary is also an occupant of the Cape Mountain fynbos and, like the Cape Sugarbird, is closely tied to the presence of Protea trees. However, unlike the sugarbird, it does not specialize in drinking nectar from their flowers, but rather in feeding on their seeds, which it easily cracks open using its robust, pinkish bill. It also has more specific taste in Protea plants, and specifically prefers mountainsides strewn with Protea nitida (colloquially known as the “Waboom” or “Wagon Tree”) over other species, although they are also partial to dense stands of “Bearded Proteas” (P.neriifolia). The slopes around Du Toitskloof Pass and Paarl Mountain are two such places where they can be found (which we can easily visit on our Cape day tours from Cape Town).
Compared to most other southern African canary species, the Protea Canary is bizarre in a number of ways. For one, it is rather drab, being mostly grey-brown with the only defining features being a bright white throat patch, dusky face, pinkish bill, thin buffy eyebrow and two, pale wing bars on each wing. It is also noticeably large for a canary and is generally solitary, being far less social than all other canary species in South Africa. Its last unusual trait is that it is quite unobtrusive and often hard to find due to its retiring nature. This is also not helped by the fact that they are a generally scarce species that is nowhere abundant. What works in their favor, though, is that they possess a most beautiful song that they regularly perform throughout winter and early spring when they are breeding. This song is a mixture of fluty, chirping phrases tied together with outstandingly accurate mimicry of other birds in their vicinity, and is a favorite sound of the Cape Fold Mountains.
The lovely song of the Protea Canary is probably its most memorable attribute!
Fynbos Buttonquail – The Ghost of the Fynbos
Wrapping up the true fynbos endemics is one of the most elusive, enigmatic and sought-after birds in both the Cape Floral Region, and the world! Indeed, the Fynbos Buttonquail is undoubtedly the hardest to see of the Cape’s endemic birds, while also being the least-known. Its gorgeous, intricately marked plumage camouflages it seamlessly with the surrounding fynbos. Couple this with a limited range and elusive nature, and you have a bird that any avid birder visiting the Cape would die to see!
The main reason that makes the Fynbos Buttonquail such a tricky bird to observe is its secretive disposition. Anyone familiar with buttonquails knows that they are shy birds by nature and rarely break cover for any reason. However, this effect is compounded in the case of the Fynbos Buttonquail due to the relative inaccessibility of its habitat. Occupying dense, scrubby slopes in the Cape Mountain fynbos keeps them well hidden, and most encounters with them are often accidental during long hikes through the mountains. Another reason for their mystery is that, like the Protea Canary, they seem to be scarce across most of their range and they move between patches of short fynbos that have been burnt in the last 4-5 years. The total population estimated at less than 1,000 individuals!
The Fynbos Buttonquail was only recently regarded as a distinct species, being previously lumped as a subspecies of the Black-rumped Buttonquail of tropical African grasslands. This, coupled with their scarcity and shyness, means that they remain little-known and understudied to this day. Not much is understood about their biology, and the hooting song of the female has very rarely been recorded. Nevertheless, places like Sir Lowry’s Pass and Sandberg Fynbos Reserve have continued to produce a steady stream of sightings over the years, and are one’s best bet at connecting with this most inscrutable and desired species.
There are very few photographs of Fynbos Buttonquail, with most being flight shots of flushed birds.
Cape Spurfowl – The Fynbos Chicken
Keeping with the theme of gamebirds, the Cape Spurfowl is vastly opposed to the Fynbos Buttonquail in terms of size, scarcity and abundance. This large francolin is one of the most common and frequently seen of all the Cape specials and can regularly be found in parks and gardens around Cape Town and the surrounding neighborhoods. They are also not shy of people and often become tame in areas frequented by tourists such as Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and West Coast National Park. While it is common, it is nonetheless a handsome fowl; its plumage is a maze of fine chevrons that complement its red bill and legs. It also happens to be the largest of our francolins, with the bigger males often approaching two pounds (one kilogram) in weight.
Cape Spurfowl are principally found in both montane and coastal fynbos, but also extend their range north into the Succulent Karoo, right up to the Fish River in southern Namibia. In this drier habitat, they are restricted to thickets along rivers and watercourses where they are far less common than in the fynbos. Like most gamebirds, they are fairly social with small groups normally consisting of a male accompanied by two or three females. The loud, strident crowing of the male is a familiar dawn sound to most Cape birders, while the large, backward-pointing spikes on their legs, called spurs, display their physical prowess and are used in conflict with rapid kicking. While they are mostly placid birds, startling an unsuspecting spurfowl will invariably lead to them bursting out of the thickets in a screeching, getaway glide, and leaving you with a mild heart attack!
The beautiful intricacies of the Cape Spurfowl’s plumage are only visible at close range.
Southern Black Korhaan – The Painted Squawker
While the Cape Spurfowl may be the most abundant of the Cape’s ground-dwelling specials, this next bird is undoubtedly the most striking in appearance. With its pink bill, yellow legs, finely barred back and a snazzy black and white tuxedo, the male Southern Black Korhaan (also known as the Black Bustard) was made to be photographed! While he may be a looker, the Southern Black Korhaan’s other distinctive trait is its rather jarring song: a raucous, rasping series of hoarse crows. This he delivers either from a raised mound or during his amusing “parachute” display flights where he floats down to the ground on fluttering wings.
Unlike the previous birds on this list, the Southern Black Korhaan is not a mountain-loving species and prefers the flatter coastal strips of fynbos to the south and west of the mountains known as “strandveld”. Within this habitat, it is locally common in places like West Coast National Park and De Hoop Nature Reserve, though is easiest to see on early spring mornings when they are most active. They are not timid birds and will regularly sing and forage near road verges or even on the road itself in some instances, with little concern for humans! Although mainly found in coastal fynbos, Southern Black Korhaans do sneak into the arid Nama Karoo at the very eastern edge of their range, where they overlap with the similar Northern Black Korhaan (White-quilled Bustard). These two species were once considered conspecific, the latter being differentiated by its white wing patches, different call and preference for the Kalahari Desert and interior grasslands of southern Africa. Our Western South Africa tour visits the habitats of both species, and focuses on targeting many of the Cape’s special birds, including the next entry on this list.
The Southern Black Korhaan is one of the most handsome bustards in the world!
Cape Long-billed Lark – The Strandveld Daredevil
As with the canaries, South Africa is also home to a great diversity of larks, many of which are localized to various open habitats in the west of the region. The Cape Long-billed Lark is the largest of South Africa’s larks and occupies the same low-lying strandveld areas as the Southern Black Korhaan. However, unlike the korhaan, the Cape Long-billed Lark has seemingly adapted well to the gradual transformation of lowland fynbos into farmland and can often be found in areas where the two habitats intermingle. With its long, slightly curved bill, it is efficient at digging through sandy soil for invertebrates. Interestingly they seem to concentrate their efforts around mounds made by Cape Dune Mole-Rats while excavating their underground tunnels.
The Cape Long-billed Lark occupies the narrow coastal strip from the Orange River Mouth down to West Coast National Park, as well as the rolling Agulhas Plain stretching south of the Cape Fold Mountains. Birds on the northern end of the coastal strip are darker on average with heavier bills, while those on the Agulhas Plain are smaller and shorter-billed, being previously considered as a separate species: Agulhas Long-billed Lark. The Cape Long-billed Lark forms a species complex with the Karoo Long-billed Lark of the dry interior, and the Eastern Long-billed Lark of the high-altitude grasslands bordering the Drakensberg Mountains. All three species are famous among local birders for their awesome flight displays. They will rocket up to 10-15 meters above the ground in one swift swoop, let out a sharp, falling whistle (reminiscent of the classic “falling bomb” sound effect of old), close their wings and drop like a stone, waiting until the last moment before opening their wings and breaking their fall. A truly incredible stunt performed by an otherwise modest stuntperson!
The heavy streaking and huge bill differentiate the Cape Long-billed Lark from its congeners.
Cape Clapper Lark – The Self-applauding Showperson
In a similar vein to the previous entry, the Cape Clapper Lark is another species of lark with a distinctive aerial display that is confined to the Cape Floral Region. However, its display is less dramatic than that of the long-billed larks and more…mechanically impressive. They ascend from a low perch, far slower than the long-billed larks, rapidly clapping their wings together below their body on the downstroke. At the peak of their ascent, they let out a clear ascending whistle and hold their wings up in a V-shape as they float back down to the ground.
At the height of spring, it is not uncommon for one to witness multiple Cape Clapper Larks synchronously displaying over the strandveld. The sound thereof is a quintessential part of the spring soundscape and is closely linked to the mass blooming of flowers across the region at this time of year. However, despite their unique display and being locally common across the Cape lowlands, Cape Clapper Larks are normally quite elusive and are not easy to locate outside of the spring breeding season. They are fairly shy and retiring, often running like mice between bushes and rarely perching in exposed positions like other larks. Therefore, spring is by far the best time of year for birders to try and connect with this aerial applauder!
The Cape Clapper Lark shares its display format with its northern counterpart, the Eastern Clapper Lark. These two were once lumped together as one species, and their respective distributions mirror those of the Northern and Southern Black Korhaans. While visually differing from its southern counterpart with richer, rufous plumage, the Eastern Clapper Lark also claps at a constant rate during its display, whereas the Cape Clapper Lark accelerates its clapping towards the climax.
A sighting of a perched Cape Clapper Lark is hard to come by, let alone one this good!
Karoo Lark – The Dry-country Varier
One final lark species calls the Cape Floral Region its sole home, though it is more of a dry-country denizen than a fynbos specialist. Out of all the bird species on this list, the Karoo Lark is the only one that is not predominantly associated with fynbos. Rather, it is a dry-country species that inhabits the arid, scrubby plains of both the Succulent and Nama Karoo biomes. However, the interesting thing about the Karoo Lark’s range is that it seems to hug the rain shadow on the dry side of the Cape Fold Mountains and does not veer off into the barren plains of the Bushmanland like most other Karoo specialists. This, coupled with the fact that it is also fairly common in the west coast strandveld strip, indicates that it has a closer tie to the fynbos than most other Karoo birds, and is why the Karoo Lark earns a spot on this list.
Like the aforementioned larks, the Karoo Lark performs distinctive display flights in springtime, although these are nowhere near as embellished as those of the other two species. They simply hover low overhead on floppy wings while singing a soft series of repeated, tinny chirps and rattles. Compared to both the Cape Clapper and Cape Long-billed Larks, Karoo Larks are normally quite abundant in their dry plains habitat, and can often be found in good numbers across vast stretches of the Karoo. Interestingly, the coloration of their upperparts varies according to the color of the substrate on which they abide. Birds in the coastal Strandveld tend to be greyer and more washed out, becoming paler as you move north. Those in the Succulent Karoo tend towards having rufous-brown upperparts, becoming darker and more heavily streaked on the eastern edge of their range in the Nama Karoo. This geographical variation based on substrate color is seen in a number of lark species, including other local specials like Namibia’s Dune Lark and the localized Red Lark.
This paler, greyer race of Karoo Lark occurs in the Strandveld north of Cape Town.
Cape Bulbul – The Spectacled Regular
Second to last on this list, this is by far the easiest of all the Cape specials to get to grips with, as it is one of the commonest birds across the entire region. The Cape Bulbul is a characterful songbird that is instantly recognizable by its peaked crest, bright yellow vent and misshapen white eye-ring. It is one of the classic garden birds of the Cape and most people will be familiar with their cheery chattering that emanates daily from their yards. While it is a common species, the Cape Bulbul is largely a fynbos endemic, only extending north into the Succulent Karoo in a similar fashion to the Cape Spurfowl, the other pervasive fynbos species. This means that they are still a notable target worth mentioning on this list.
Like other bulbuls, the Cape Bulbul is both vocal and social, possessing a complex set of chirps, squeaks and rattles used for various gestures and circumstances. For example, a pair greeting each other will often blurt out a fast, babbling chatter, generally accompanied by much wing flicking. This behavior is shared with South Africa’s other two bulbul species: the African Red-eyed Bulbul of the arid interior and the Common Bulbul of eastern woodland habitats. All three bulbul species are known to hybridize in areas where their ranges overlap, but this is a rare occurrence and has only been documented a handful of times. Interestingly enough, in the Succulent Karoo around the town of Springbok, Cape Bulbuls have become more prevalent in recent years than the expected African Red-eyed Bulbuls, though the reason for this shift in species dominance remains unclear.
The quirky personality of the Cape Bulbul makes it an entertaining species to observe!
Black Harrier – The Pied Pride of the Fynbos
Closing out the Cape specials is the only bird of prey specifically restricted to the Cape Floral Region. The Black Harrier is a dashing denizen of the plains and lowland fynbos where they are mostly seen quartering over rolling fields in search of small mammals and birds. Like most harriers, they breed in dense vegetation alongside wetlands or streams, predominantly in the coastal strandveld along the West Coast and South Coast of the Cape. However, unlike other fynbos birds, they are migratory and disperse north and east into the Kalahari and interior grasslands during the austral winter, returning to their breeding grounds in the fynbos in spring. Thus the Black Harrier is almost exclusively a fynbos breeding endemic, with only a very small population breeding outside of this region. This handsome bird is therefore a major target for us on our West Coast day tours, as well as on our Western South Africa tour, mentioned previously.
Out of the sixteen harrier species in the world, the Black Harrier has the second smallest breeding range after the Reunion Harrier. It has unfortunately come under a lot of pressure due to habitat loss and wind turbine strikes, and is currently listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Fortunately, various conservation efforts from Birdlife South Africa and the Overberg Renosterveld Trust are underway to ensure the survival and longevity of this iconic species. The Black Harrier was also publicly voted as Birdlife South Africa’s Bird of the Year for 2026, thus raising even more awareness to the plight of this beautiful raptor.
The Endangered Black Harrier is one of South Africa’s most gorgeous raptors!
Having read about the delectable suit of signature bird species the Cape has to offer, we’re sure you must be raring to get down to the southern tip of Africa and see all these exciting species for yourself. As previously mentioned, our comprehensive Western South Africa tour covers all the major birding hotspots across the Cape and targets all of the species listed above, while our various Cape day trips will be more suited to those with limited time to spend in the area, but would still like to squeeze in time to see some of these tantalizing birds. Our shorter Best of Cape Town and our Budget Cape Town tours also target many of these species, and will be suited to those looking for a comfortable middle ground between limited time and substantial birding. Below is a list of all the bird species mentioned above:
- Cape Rockjumper
- Cape Sugarbird
- Orange-breasted Sunbird
- Victorin’s Warbler
- Cape Siskin
- Protea Canary
- Fynbos Buttonquail
- Cape Spurfowl
- Southern Black Korhaan
- Cape Long-billed Lark
- Cape Clapper Lark
- Karoo Lark
- Cape Bulbul
- Black Harrier
If you are looking for a great field guide to start familiarizing yourself with all these incredible birds, our blog on the best field guides for African countries explains all the best options, including those for South Africa. Finally, our article on birding in the Cape provides a broad overview of the region according to the biomes and habitats that make up the Cape, and may provide further inspiration to any birders thinking of visiting this remarkable ecozone. Whether to glimpse the rare Fynbos Buttonquail or to capture the perfect photo of a Cape Sugarbird, the Cape is a must-visit destination for any serious birder, and we look forward to seeing you down here soon!
